The best of all worlds - why rotational feeding is important for your pet
We all want what’s best for our pets - health, happiness, and a lot of love and fun! But when it comes to their diet, have you ever considered the importance of rotational feeding and how it can help to optimise their nutrition - and their health?
Here at Smack Pet Food, we believe in creating pet food free of synthetic vitamins and minerals, with superfood ingredients and recipes that naturally promote high bioavailability of nutrients. By rotating your pet's protein on a regular basis, you can help keep mealtimes exciting as well as maximising the nutritional benefits of your pet’s food by bringing that all-important variety to their bowl. After all… if you wouldn’t want to eat the same meal every day for the rest of your life… your pet probably doesn’t either!
Optimal nutrition for optimal health
Much like a traditional raw diet (based on a rotation of proteins on a regular basis), we believe that a rotational feeding method is one of the best ways to positively impact your pet’s overall well-being. Here are some of the top reasons to feed rotationally:
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Rotating provides better nutritional balance
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A variety of protein helps to balance fats in the diet (different formulas have different amounts of fat, omega-3s etc.)
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By incorporating different proteins you can help to reduce the chance of your pet acquiring a protein intolerance
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Variety is the spice of life! Rotational feeding keeps mealtime interesting (especially for picky pets)
Our recipes have been crafted with your pets’ well-being in mind, following a raw diet style of formulation; each offers unique, naturally-occurring health benefits from the different proteins (chicken, pork, salmon, rockfish) and superfood ingredients (mango, pineapple, kale, pumpkin and more!) they contain. When fed together as part of a rotational diet, our recipes compliment one another to create a balanced combination of different proteins and ingredients. By rotating our formulas, you can maximise the nutrients and reap the unique benefits that each one has to offer!
The best of all worlds
You may be wondering what exactly the benefits of adding new foods are, when your pet is already healthy and enjoying a diet of their favourite Smack Pet Food formula. But, by incorporating a variety of proteins, you can capture additional health benefits for your furry friend. For example, adding even a small portion (approximately 20%) of one of our tasty fish formulas can still capture the added benefits found in our salmon and rockfish recipes:
Omega-3s are great for puppies because of the extra DHA component (important for brain and eye development. They also provide anti-inflammatory properties, making them great for animals suffering from arthritis and allergies. Omega-3s also balance other omegas occurring in the diet: Omega-6 fatty acids (naturally occurring in some proteins) produce hormones which increase inflammation - an important part of your dog’s immune response. The hormones produced by Omega-3 fatty acids work antagonistically and lower that inflammation, creating a balance of hormones which plays an important role in your dog’s immune system and overall health.
Coconut is a powerful antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic. It improves vitamin, mineral & amino acid absorption and aids in the treatment of arthritis as well as helping to relieve ulcerative colitis.
Mango can reduce the risk of cancer and gastrointestinal disorders. It also improves digestion and vitamin and mineral absorption.
Pineapple can improve protein digestion and reduce the growth of certain tumours. It can also reduce muscle aches and inflammation and improves muscle recovery
I'm sold! But...where to start?
A weekly menu may include meals of all the recipes or only some. You can base your pet’s diet on their favourite formulas and just add in a small portion of a new protein, or even an entire meal! You could even start using a different recipe for training treats to get an extra boost of benefits.
Using Very Berry Chicken as the main recipe, a typical weekly menu of rotational feeding might look something like this (assuming two meals per day for an adult dog):
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|
Very Berry Chicken |
Caribbean-Salmon Fusion |
Very Berry Chicken |
Very Berry Chicken |
Very Berry Chicken |
Caribbean-Salmon Fusion |
Very Berry Chicken |
|
Very Berry Chicken |
Very Berry Chicken |
Very Berry Chicken |
Prairie Harvest Pork |
Very Berry Chicken |
Very Berry Chicken |
Very Berry Chicken |
So if you’re thinking about beginning rotational feeding, this sample menu is a great place to start. Next time you’re purchasing a big bag of your favourite formula, you could consider adding a small bag of a new formula for your pet to try out. Or check out our Meal Variety Packs to get the optimal balance of different protein sources - and a big boost of nutritional variety for your dog or cat!